The Fourth Wall

Meredith Mann is an actor. He isn't a star, that's not his lot. But through the dramatic arc of one step backward and two steps forward Mann, now at 50, stands at the pinnacle of acting success. A member of the core acting company at a well respected American regional theater: Oregon's Portland Repertory Theater. All should be well. But it isn't. “Merry” Mann is cracking up. He has troubling visions, hallucinations, premonitions; violent, dark and foreboding. A problem for anyone, but especially worrisome for an actor to endure during a live stage performance. Written by professional actor and director, Michael Alton Gottlieb, The Fourth Wall is not an inside scoop or treatise on acting, or the roles Mr. Mann plays or the art and craft of theater itself. Rather it is the story of a journeyman actor who breaks through the fourth wall of the 'multi-verse' in which we all live and where our lives are formed through dreams, apparitions and déjà vu. Teetering on the brink of sanity Mann is caught between the choices he makes for himself and those he inadvertently, and sometimes tragically, makes for others. "The Fourth Wall is about a middle-aged actor on the cusp of fame, whose onstage visions portend personal apocalypse. By turns astonishing and thrilling, this novel does what the best books accomplish -- it takes us where we've never been, and makes the journey both compelling and unforgettable." Tom King, Emmy-winning TV writer. “A wild romp for those of us in theatre, those who would like to be and those who have wondered what it's like to live beyond the fourth wall. A fast-paced, suspense filled, spirited read enlivened by characters who stay with you long after you've put the book down.” Taylor Korobow, Artistic Director, Stray Dog Productions Michael Alton Gottlieb is a critically acclaimed actor, director and writer. Like his Fourth Wall protagonist, Meredith Mann, he is lousy at Shakespeare, can hold his own on a bar stool and loves actors. He currently lives in the highlands of Central Mexico with his wife, Jill, who against his better judgment keeps him on the straight and narrow. Contact him at michael@magottlieb.com